Ceramic industry reps appreciate Govt concessions

Professor G.L. Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Minister of Enterprise Development, Investment Promotion and Media, met representatives of the ceramics sector at the Sri Lanka Export Development Board for a discussion of issues relating to their industries.

The Ministers explained to them the prompt initiatives of the Government which helped to protect industries in Sri Lanka from the fall-out of the global economic crisis that impacted seriously on the strongest economies in the world.

Industry representatives expressed appreciation of the steps taken by the Government to reduce the price of furnace oil, diesel and kerosene, and to give them exemption from the fuel surcharge and the economic services charge for the current year.

Ministers G.L. Peiris and Anura Yapa briefed them about the reasons underpinning the Government’s decision to make available to exporters an incentive payment of 5 per cent of their total foreign exchange earnings for the year, if they maintained the threshold of performance achieved in the previous year and if they had not resorted to retrenchment of employees.

They said that 3 per cent of the foreign exchange earned would be paid by way of incentive, if 90 per cent of the 2008 performance had been achieved.

The Ministers explained to industry leaders that the Government’s objective is to strengthen the competitiveness of our export oriented industries by adopting effective measures to reduce the cost of production, to develop backward linkages and to facilitate market access.

These measures, they pointed out, were considered by the Government to be essential to protect local industries with strong track records from the consequences of the global situation. Representatives of industry said that they found particularly helpful the Government’s imposition of a cess in a variety of sectors to discourage imports and to offer protection at this critical time to local industry.

The Ministers said that these measures reflected the Government’s resolve to nurture local entrepreneurship in a balanced and practical way.

It was agreed to have a continuing dialogue to review implementation of measures adopted by the Government to assist the ceramics industry.

Sunil Wijesingha, Chairman, Dankotuwa Porcelain Ltd., Dayasiri Warnakulasuriya, Chairman/Managing Director, Midaya Ceramic Co., Nimal Perera, General Manager, Noritake Lanka Porcelain Ltd., Jayantha Sumathiratne, General Manager, Royal Fernwood Porcelain Ltd., Mahendra Jayasekera, Managing Director, Lanka Tiles Ltd., S.H.B. Karunaratne, Managing Director, Art Decoration International (Pvt.) Ltd., Nimal Perera, Managing Director, Royal Ceramic Lanka Ltd., Sarath Ellalagoda, Managing Director, Novel Ceramic (Pvt.) Ltd., Anil Koswatte, Chairman, EDB and officials of the EDB participated.